Twenty-three areas are under Wind Signal No. 1 as Severe Tropical Storm Leon moves closer to the country, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in its bulletin.
Meteorologists last spotted the storm east of Echague, Isabela, with sustained winds of 100 kilometers per hour (km/h) and gusts of up to 125 km/h.
As of 5 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 28, cyclone wind Signal No. 1 was hoisted in 23 areas. These are:
- Batanes
- Cagayan including Babuyan Islands
- Isabela
- Apayao
- Kalinga
- Quirino
- Nueva Vizcaya
- Abra
- Mountain Province
- Ifugao
- northern portion of Benguet
- Ilocos Norte
- Ilocos Sur
- La Union
- Aurora
- The northern portion of Quezon including the Polillo Islands
- Camarines Norte
- The eastern portion of Camarines Sur
- Catanduanes
- The eastern portion of Albay
- The northeastern portion of Sorsogon
- The eastern portion of Northern Samar
- The northern portion of Eastern Samar
The warning means winds of 39 to 61 kilometers per hour (km/h) and intermittent rains may be expected over these areas in the next 36 hours.
“The highest wind signal which may be hoisted during the occurrence of Leon is wind Signal No. 3 or 4, especially in Extreme Northern Luzon,” PAGASA said.
It added the storm may intensify into a typhoon in the next 24 hours. It may reach the super typhoon category during its closest approach to Batanes on Wednesday (Oct. 30) or Thursday (Oct. 31), the weather bureau said.
The agency also warned it is not ruling out a landfall scenario over the island.
PAGASA said the storm may exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Friday, Nov. 1.
